The celebrity allure of Paris Fashion Week was at its height on Thursday as the notables from the worlds of sports, film and fashion attended the Louis Vuitton swansong show for designer Kim Jones.
The stars were out in force to bid farewell to Jones after Michael Burke, Vuitton’s chairman and chief executive officer, confirmed he would be departing the fashion house’s menswear division after six years at the helm.
When Victoria Beckham arrived solo at the Palais Royal show venue, dressed in a beige menswear coat and oversize bellbottoms, that alone was enough to trigger mayhem. But that was little in comparison to the frantic scene that ensued the moment she was joined by her husband, David, in a midnight blue Vuitton sweater, and their 18-year-old son Brooklyn in a jazzy red Vuitton-branded shirt.
Soccer player Neymar then pulled up and sent paparazzi leaping to get close to the stars.
During the show, there were screams of delight as Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell both strutted down the catwalk in sexy monogrammed rain coats for their final ode to the influential designer.
It’s not known where Jones will be headed — and Versace has not confirmed reports they held discussions to bring him on.
David Beckham, a personal friend of the 38-year-old British designer, came to see him off.
“I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do next,” Beckham said. “But it’s been an amazing journey for him.”
Constant voyage
Exploration and travel were the touchstones in Jones’ sportswear-influenced collection, inspired by photos of the Kenyan landscape.
The aerial images, taken from a helicopter, were used as swirling prints and kinetic motifs on dark navy bombers, or on flat-fronted organza hunting shirts and sporty leggings.
The colours of African rock features — slate, granite and sandstone — influenced the collection’s masculine palette, which was shot through with the bright colours of rock-climbing attire in neon yellow, orange and silver.
Adventure was at the heart of this fun show with big hiker boots stomping down the runway.
References spanned from the Wild West (a grey cowboy hat) to Siberia (an intarsia mink coat.)
Jones said it was about “discovering something new. A constant voyage.”
He could have been referring to the collection — or perhaps his personal journey, wherever that may be.
